Four Tigers earn CSC Academic All-District recognition in Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field
| 2023-24 CSC Academic All-District Men's Cross Country and Track and Field release |
SPRINGFIELD — Wittenberg senior Peter Caine (Ypsilanti, Mich./Lincoln), juniors Cameron Elliott (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) and Justin Norris (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown Christian) and sophomore Zayden Taylor (Springfield, Ohio/Kenton Ridge) were named to the College Sports Communicators NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country and Track and Field Academic All-District Team for the 2023-24 season, the organization announced on Tuesday.
The CSC Academic All-District Team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletics and in the classroom. To earn CSC Academic All-District distinction, student-athletes must be a sophomore or above in class standing with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 while ranking inside the top 50 in a single event in their respective region. Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First, Second and Third Team Academic All-America honorees will be announced on July 10.
Elliott, a psychology major, boasts a 3.67 GPA and highlights the honorees as a two-time North Coast Athletic Conference champion this year. He swept the conference titles in the indoor and outdoor 400 meters and added All-NCAC accolades as a member of the indoor and outdoor 4x400 relay teams. He also broke the school record in the outdoor 400 with a time of 47.88 seconds.
He finished the year with six top-50 marks in the Great Lakes Region rankings. Indoors, he was seventh in the 400 and 4x400 relay and 35th in the 200. Outdoors, he ranked sixth in the 400, 12th in the 4x400 relay and 43rd in the 200.
Caine, a computer science major, boasts a 3.91 GPA and finished the season with two top-50 regional rankings. He ranked 22nd as a member of the indoor distance medley relay team and 32nd in the 3,000-meter steeplechase during the outdoor season.
Norris, a computer science major, boasts a 3.67 GPA and was an All-NCAC performer in the outdoor high jump this season.
He closed the year ranked seventh in the high jump and 38th in the javelin during the outdoor season and 18th in the high jump during the indoor season.
Taylor, an exercise science major, boasts a 3.90 GPA and closed the season with two top-50 regional rankings. He ranked 12th as a member of the outdoor 4x400 relay team and 39th in the 800 during the indoor season.
Under head coach Paris Hilliard, the Wittenberg men's track and field team won the NCAC Indoor Championships title and placed second in the conference and had one national qualifier during the outdoor season. The Tigers finished the year with a combined four All-Region accolades in the indoor and outdoor seasons along with conference titles in eight individual events. Hillard and his staff were named NCAC Men's Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year for the indoor season. During the 2023 cross country season, the Tigers placed third at the NCAC Championships, marking their best finish in 25 years.